How to push in bumpers on a US-spec GTS/GTB

Carb cars don't have rear spacers.

 

i tried to this yesterday and I struggled to complete even the first step. The screws in the side of the exhaust covers are fine but I can’t for the life of me understand how to access and remove the bolts holding the tabs of the exhaust cover to the body panel. Especially the ones on the inside. Access is completely blocked by that mesh metal between the bumper and car. I really don’t understand how to get to it. And that’s with the US bumper sticking out that much. I can’t even imagine accessing those tab bolts when the bumper is pushed further in

what am I missing?

I think it’s those tabs on the diagram:
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

@Brian A - do you know what I’m talking about here? Do I need to remove the bumper first to be able to access the bolts holding these tabs?

 

on my ‘82 308GTSi the screws are accessible by slightly flexing the grill down after removing all other screws on the grill. I used 1/4” drive extension…..

 

Thanks. What grille are you referring to? I was talking about the rear bumper and the tabs fastening the diaper/exhaust cover to the body

 

Yes rear diaper/exhaust cover

 

It's tight but you can get on them. A little bit trickier getting them back in again as I recall.

 

It’s spring again and once again, I’m hoping to attempt to do this on my 85 QV.

I bought the MACarbon shocks and was ready to go and give that front bumper a try… then I encountered a road block (in the form of fog lights).

One of the previous owners had those installed I guess (I don’t think that was a factory option for US QV?). And I honestly really like the look.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

Image Unavailable, Please Login

Now… before I started the process outlined in the MACarbon instructions to disconnect headlights and remove the front bumper, I took a closer look at what I’d be removing etc…

and the fog lights are tight under the bumper right now (which in and of itself is probably fine ) but the shape of the lights have that mitered piece of plastic that looks like won’t make it possible to push in the bumper with a shorter shock

Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

Any ideas from the brilliant minds here, on how to deal with this? Is the only solution to source different lights? If so, are there some lights that are recommended?

appreciate any recs or ideas y’all may have

 

You can make an extension bracket to lower the light an inch or so below the bumper so that you can adjust it without rubbing the bumper.

 

thanks - lowering the light is probably the way to go but I have no idea how I could make an extension, in practice.

I’m wondering if another approach could be to simply get a longer bolt, lower the light and have nuts on each side of the support to secure it tight?

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

something like this two pieces of plate where the two top hole goes to the bracket and the two bottom holes where the light housing goes.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

@gdl203 - I was thinking along the lines of your longer bolt idea, but instead of a using a second nut to clamp the mounting bolt to the grille, my thought was to use a bushing over the bolt between the grille and the light bracket. Pros and cons to both approaches but either should get the job done. Good luck.
- Dave

 

Thanks for posting. I plan to do this mod soon.

 

I don't know why anyone would want to do this "mod". Remove & replace that ugly buck-toothed U.S. bumper with a slim and better looking fiberglass Euro version, and save a BUNCH of weight at the same time! (Remember, lighter cars are faster)

I don't understand the purpose of drilling holes in the shocks, ruining them, and leaving them on the car. Take them off, save them for posterity, and put lightweight hardware in their place.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I couldn't agree more. Why go halfway? Just this last winter I got around to converting my 85 QV from US to Euro front end. I previously went the Macarbon route as a temporary improvement while I was restoring the rest of the car. I got the fiberglass bumper and euro grill from Superperperformance and the bracket kit from Cavalla Rossa (Sure, you could do your own, but they make a nice 3D printed kit.) I went all out and got vintage Cibie 35s, but your lights might fit and less expensive and more available Hellas may fit as well. A HUGE improvement - go for it!
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I placed LEDs behind the grille. On each side, a steel plate begged me to mount the lights there...so I did. I'm not sure if the factory fitted them or the previous owner.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

I went with the longer bolt and got it done

Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login


As a complete noobie with two left feet for hands… it was much harder and too much longer than I thought. But I’m glad that I pushed through the frustration of those bolts so hard to reach… and did it all by myself. A basic task for most here, but a proud moment for me !

 

Could you explain who or what is "Cavalla Rossa", I trying to add the euro bumper to a USA car

 

Cavallino Rossa in St Louis, perhaps?

 

It happens to be a small operation, I believe near Atlanta. Here is the email: [email protected]. Strangely, their website: cavallarossa.com, is not easy to find. It's a fellow named Vince, who I found extremely helpful and responsive. He has a 308 and is apparently developing and producing 3D printed parts for them. The kit was complete, had good instructions and worked extremely well.

 

If you are going to do this job, it's not a bad idea to move the horns over to the right-hand side in front of the headlight and out of the way of the radiators. If you are wondering what the two little silver spots just below the bumper are in the photo of the front of my car, they are the original labels on the fans. Vince is very helpful, but feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

 

Here's the correct link to Cavallo Rosso's website: https://cavallarossa.tech/
There is nothing in the way of useful content on the site, just an extremely brief "About Us" and the email address referenced above. Not disputing the fact that Vince was/is extremely helpful, but their site is a bit short on function.
By the way, your car looks great @daynyc
- Dave

 

It seems that all of the links inside the site are under construction. Maybe Rob can help him out.

 

Thank you, Dave. I got to it after I did suspension, brakes, ignition and injection, windows etc. But it was worth the wait. A great improvement in my opinion and what Fioravanti intended. Although they can be shut off, I use the drtiving lights as running lights.
Day